Photodisintegration of Deuterium at Low Energies: Measurements of Cross Section and Fore-Aft Asymmetries Between \textit{E$_{\gamma}$} of 2.44 and 4 MeV at the High Intensity $\gamma$-Ray Source (HI$\gamma$S)

Data were taken recently at HI$\gamma$S to obtain cross section and fore-aft asymmetry measurements in photodisintegration of the deuteron in the energy region of astrophysical importance. Linearly polarized $\gamma$-rays ($\Delta E/E \sim 3 \%$) were incident on a thin D$_2$O target and the outgoing neutrons were detected using three Li-glass detectors placed in the plane of polarization at center-of-mass scattering angles ($\theta$) of 54$^{\circ}$, 88$^{\circ}$, and 125$^{\circ}$. A preliminary analysis indicates small, but non-zero, asymmetries. An outline of the analysis to extract asymmetry and cross sections within an error of $\sim$ 10 \% will be presented. The acquisition and analysis of data used to extract the efficiency of the Li-glass detectors will also be presented. The significance of the asymmetry and cross section measurements will be discussed.